Naturally, They Kissed
by MerpsiclesTheGreat
Summary: Literally nothing but fluff. MAde for @alienmandy for the One Piece Secret Santa 2019.


"You know a lot about love and stuff, right?"

Stunned by the nature and abruptness of the question, Sanji paused. After a breath or two he continued, worried the vegetables would burn if he lost focus. God forbid he make any mistakes on afternoon snacks for the ladies. "Yeah, why?"

"What does it feel like?" Ah, so he was just curious.

"It's that feeling when you look at someone and you can't help but smile." Sanji could feel a tangent coming along. "The feeling of bubbly laughter after a thrilling adventure! A feeling equivalent to watching thousands of cherry blossoms fall around you as you smell the sweet petals and hear violins in the distance! Love is-"

"Wanting to share your food with someone?" Luffy looked hopeful. Sanji, annoyed at the interruption but grateful Luffy was understanding, nodded.

"Woah," Luffy said, looking at his hands. "So that's what it feels like."

Sanji nodded, proud of his work. He was about to continue working until the elephant in the room somehow just became visible.

"Wait… are you… in love with someone?"

Luffy responded with a wide grin, cheeks dusted pink, and a signature giggle. Suddenly the food was forgotten. Sanji leapt to where Luffy was perched on the table and gripped his shoulders.

"You're capable of love? Who is it?" Sanji shook Luffy within an ounce of his life. "It's Nami-chan, isn't it? Why, you little-"

"Ew, no!" Luffy barked. "She's mean! And makes me pay for stuff!"

"How dare you insult her?! Just because you have eyes for Robin-swan instead, you can't just-"

"No! She's too old! And uses big words."

Sanji was about ready to burst a vein in his temple before he smelt an assortment of vegetables about to be burned. Reluctantly, he rushed over to correct his mistake. Not before delivering a swift kick to Luffy's head, of course.

"Ow! What was that for?! It's not even a girl…" Luffy mumbled, rubbing the forming lump on his temple.

Sanji froze, the mental list he made of every candidate burned to ashes. He turned to Luffy, this time after taking the pan off the stove before redirecting his attention.

"You… you're gay?" Sanji is not homophobic, absolutely not. He just can't understand how any man could resist the alluring poise of a woman, that's all. Not like Luffy made much sense in the first place.

"I guess, but I only like Zoro." Luffy said, sitting tall and proud of his newfound crush. Meanwhile Sanji completely collapsed. Unfazed, Luffy hopped up and bounced his way to the main deck.

He found Robin resting on the lawn chair, book in and a humored smile to Franky and whatever shenanigans he was telling her about.

"Robin! Where's Zoro?" Luffy rocked on his feet impatiently.

"Likely in the gym. He just got up from his nap a few moments ago."

After giving a rushed thanks, Luffy launched himself across the ship to reach his destination. On his way, he vaguely heard Nami and Usopp making another ridiculous bet.

He peeked his head over the ladder, searching the room consistently smelling of sweat and Zoro. He spotted Zoro, doing situps while dangling from a bar, and skipped over to him. Zoro knowingly let himself down and began working the towel against his face.

"Zoro~!" Luffy sang, grin pulling his cheeks so far apart they stung.

"... Did Nami send you? I already made my payment this month."

"Nope~!" Luffy stopped directly in front of Zoro, practically vibrating with excitement. "I gotta tell you something. Don't know how, though."

"I know this isn't your forte, but you probably should've figured that out before you came to talk to me." Zoro said, a smile threatening to break his stoic face.

"Ah, I got it!" Luffy's face lit up, drawing even closer to Zoro. "Be my boyfriend."

"... huh?" Mostly calm on the outside, Zoro was practically screaming internally for numerous reasons. The main two being "what the hell" and "hell yes."

"You gotta be my boyfriend now, so we can do boyfriend things. Captain's orders."

"Luffy, you can't just tell someone to date you. That usually gets you rejected." Zoro lazily threw the damp towel over his shoulder.

"You have to because I wanna share my meat with you, and Sanji says that means I love you."

"You what now?"

"I wanna share-"

"No, please don't say that again." Zoro sighed deeply before releasing a chuckle. "You're so lucky you're cute as hell."

"I'm not cute!"

"Yeah, sure," Zoro said dismissively, bringing an arm around Luffy's shoulder. "Because I like you, too, I'll be your boyfriend."

"Really?! Yes!" Luffy jumped with joy and threw his arms around Zoro's neck, feet barely touching the ground. Fondly, Zoro's arms found their place around Luffy's waist.

After a few more beats, they parted but only left enough space to face each other. They pressed their foreheads together and smiled goofily.

"Wait, what do boyfriends do? I've never had one." Luffy directed his gaze to Zoro's last intact eye, a thought that saddened him just a bit but instantly went away when Zoro held him tighter.

"I can think of a few things that might interest you," Zoro said.

"Like what? Wait, you've had a boyfriend before?" Luffy questioned, suddenly jealous. Zoro responded by pressing his lips to Luffy's, whom of which retracted instantly by instinct. "What was that?"

"A kiss," Zoro laughed, not at all offended by Luffy's reaction. "It's what-"

"Do it again," Luffy demanded.

Amused by his usual child-like bluntness, Zoro kissed him again. Not long after their lips connected, Luffy pushed back with determined force. Zoro let out a breathy laugh and pulled Luffy as close to him as possible, and Luffy did the same. For the next few minutes-maybe a half hour, who knows-they separated and reconnected over and over again. Both being highly adaptive naturally, they quickly found the place where their lips slotted perfectly into each other and stayed there longer. Eventually, they broke apart with enamored smiles and Luffy giggling uncontrollably.

"That's fun! More!" Luffy said, ready to dive back in.

"Hey, hey, relax. We can kiss more later." Zoro chuckled at Luffy's pout and continued talking while avoiding Luffy's attempts to reconnect. "We gotta do other boyfriend things."

"Like what? Is it like kissing? I like kissing."

"I never thought I'd hear you say that." Zoro shook his head in disbelief. "I'm not sure, either. I have a general idea, but I don't think you'd be into it."

"That sounds like a challenge."

"No."

"Yes."

"No," Zoro sighed and led Luffy to the ladder leading down. "I know you well enough that you're not going to like it."

"You didn't know I liked you, so maybe you're just dumb." Luffy's playfully bitter tone contrasted with the way he clung to Zoro's back.

"Says the one who still hasn't figured out who Sogeking is," Zoro retorted, reaching over his shoulder to pinch Luffy's cheek and tug harshly. "Speaking of, let's go talk to Usopp."

"What's Usopp gotta do with this?"

"I rest my case."

On the main deck, Sanji had just recovered from his shock while the remaining crew barely noticed his absence. With a bandage around his head at the urging of Chopper's concern, Sanji served snacks to Nami and Robin. Everyone else, per usual, was forced to get their own snacks or lesser quality, at least the ones Luffy hadn't devoured. The captain in question made a grand appearance in the first mate's back, arms and legs gripping him tightly. Zoro walked regularly as if he didn't get a clingy boyfriend in the past half hour and said clingy boyfriend was on his back like a koala.

"Oh my," Robin said, first to notice. In turn, everyone else looked up at the pair and waited for either to speak. Sanji winced and tried sneaking away, but Nami held him in place. "The sight itself is nothing new, but Zoro seems much less annoyed than usual."

"Yup!" Luffy grinned before burying his face in Zoro's shoulder, muffling his voice. "Zoro's my boyfriend now."

"That's _SUUUPER romantic!~" _Franky posed. Everyone else chattered cheerfully, closing in on the new arrangement with questions in hand. That is, besides Usopp and Nami who were looking simultaneously eager and on edge.

"Yeah, yeah, that's great and all," Nami said, "but who asked who out?"

"Me!" Luffy raised his head high enough to speak but left his cheek pressed to Zoro's.

"Haha! Yes!" Nami cheered and extended her hands to Usopp. Usopp cursed to the ground and angrily fished money out of his pocket.

"Damn, I really thought Zoro would do it first... " Usopp sighed at the empty feeling in his pockets. "You let me down! How could you not say it first?"

"Sorry," Zoro said unapologetically, reaching up to pet Luffy's head. "Not my fault you guys made a bet on someone else's love life."

"How did you guys know?" Luffy asked, forcing the purr trying to make its way out back down his throat. It came out anyway, and he leaned into the touch.

"Let's be honest," Nami spoke while counting the bet money. "It's impossible not to know. Zoro's gay beyond belief, and no one was quicker to understand your appalling stupidity than him. Even I am baffled every so often."

"Besides, you and Chopper are pretty much the only ones allowed to touch him." Usopp nodded. "It was obvious from the beginning."

"Wow, I only found out today," Luffy said.

"The only ones who didn't know were your dumbass and Sanji." Nami pointed to Sanji who was moping on the floor, mumbling something along the lines of "how could the two least romantic idiots on this ship find love before me" or something. "Even Chopper knew, and he's more innocent minded than you."

"Well, it finally happened anyway," Brook swooned. "Never in my life did I think I'd see a romance like yours. Makes my heart beat twice as fast! Oh, but I don't have a heart."

Jokes aside, the crew found this a celebratory worthy occasion (as if they needed a reason to do nothing but sing, dance, and eat anyway). Sanji quickly came to terms with the situation, coping for his lack of relationship by fawning over Nami and Robin more than usual, and made a grand dinner for everyone to eat. Instead of the usual drinking and screaming, everyone huddled around "the newlyweds", as Sanji deemed them.

"When did you guys start the bet?" Luffy asked with a mouthful of meat. Zoro held him in his lap, one arm around his stomach and the other gripping his drink.

"I wonder," Nami whispered. "A long, long time ago."

"I think it was… after Nami came back?" Usopp crossed his arms and tilted his head.

"Yeah, it was then!" Nami said. "Both of us noticed during the whole Baratie thing, but we decided to bet on it sometime after we left Conomi."

"That far back? I don't think I liked Zoro way back then."

"Well, sure looked like you did." Usopp took a long swig of his drink. "You might not have realized it then. You're not exactly hard to read in terms of emotions."

Nami continued, saying she knew the moment they met. Usopp refused to be bested, and claimed an oracle told Shanks who told his dad who told his mom who later told Usopp that a kid in a straw hat would fall in love with a green haired kid obsessed with swords. Never one to stop a tale, Usopp claimed that a crazy smart brain scientist told him how an obsession with swords and other pole-like objects shows homosexual feelings in males. Zoro threw the remainder of his drink into Usopp's face without missing a beat.

Drunk laughter and the pained screeching of a young man with alcohol in his eyes lofted through the air. Already beyond tipsy, Chopper fell on his side next to Zoro in a fit of giggles. Zoro instinctually dropped the empty mug and rubbed Chopper's head. Luffy frowned. Receptive of his boyfriend's sudden change in attitude, Zoro kissed his neck assuringly.

"Didn't take you for the jealous type," Zoro chuckled.

"Not jealous," Luffy mumbled. "Don't pet anyone else. Just me."

"Pretty sure that means you're jealous. Of a reindeer, Luffy. You're jealous of an animal with human characteristics."

Luffy decided arguing would be easier if he sat with his side to Zoro and head on his shoulder. Chopper, unaware of the situation his presence caused, moved in closer with a weary head landing on Luffy's readjusted legs. Both men looked down at Chopper, and Luffy found fondness by watching him.

"So," Luffy said, "you don't love Chopper?"

"Not like I love you, no." Zoro rubbed Luffy's side, hand resting at his hip. "More like a little brother."

Luffy nodded quietly, thinking about his feelings for Ace and Sabo. Love can be among family and friends, not just lovers. This love was definitely different, Luffy decided. Ace and Sabo were never allowed to eat his food.

The festivities carried on, and the party became more about who was the best singer in their drunken state than celebrating Luffy and Zoro's union. With the attention off them, they both decided to head up to the crow's nest to be alone in each other's company.

Neither said anything, happy enough to be together with a sky full of stars and each other in their arms. Zoro had his eye closed and chin on Luffy's shoulder while his thumbs idly moved over rubber abs. Luffy took his attention from the deep blue sky for a moment and turned it to Zoro. Zoro opened his eye and looked back.

"Does having a boyfriend usually feel this nice?"

"Not usually," Zoro mumbled. Luffy turned to face Zoro and held him closer.

"Do other boyfriends do more than kiss?"

"Usually, yes. But we don't have to. Not yet."

"So we can just to this?" Luffy kissed Zoro and, as inexperienced as he was, just used brute force to press their lips together as hard as possible.

"We'll need to work on it, but yes we can." Zoro chuckled, being deliberately gentle with his kiss.

Though he didn't want to admit it, Zoro had no idea what to do other than kiss in a relationship. Luffy clearly didn't have a clue either, so he guessed they would just figure it out together.

But what would they do in the mean time?

Naturally, they'll just kiss like love sick goons for a while.


End file.
